P.E.I. explores ways to manage population growth

As P.E.I. awaits the government's new population strategy, concerns have been raised by all parties that the growing number of people continues to outpace the expansion of essential services.

P.E.I.'s population has been growing faster than anywhere else in the country, and long since passed the targets for growth set out in the last population strategy released six years ago. 

The new strategy was originally scheduled to be delivered over the summer. MLAs at a legislature committee meeting Tuesday heard it is now expected in November and will focus less on how to encourage more growth, and more on how to manage P.E.I.'s continuing population boom.

"We need a government that recognizes that there are challenges with the rate of growth that we've had over the last few years," said Green Party MLA Peter Bevan-Baker.

"We need services for people but we also need people to provide those services and it's a real conundrum."

The province said it's developing a new planning tool which should make it clear what new services are needed — including health care, schools, childcare and traffic management — to support a growing population.

Mary Hunter, the executive director of workforce development, said the different sectors are embracing diversity and inclusion and trying to "make that pathway as seamless as possible."

"We have not heard from anyone I know that I have consulted with that has concerns with immigration," she said. 

"I think there are concerns with investing in an infrastructure and the best way for us to ensure that we know what is happening is that model of a framework where housing, educators, others with that expertise can look at the population and kind of growth projections and ensure that investments are happening that support that planned growth."

Meanwhile population pressures continue. This year, P.E.I.'s federal allocation under the provincial nominee program grew by 30 per cent to more than 2,000 nominees and their families.

According to Statistics Canada projections, P.E.I.'s population crossed the 180,000 mark in late August. 

The provincial government predicted in May the population would reach 200,000 by the year 2030, but at the current growth rates, P.E.I. would hit that number by 2027.